Mindset: It's Never Too Late to Change

This past Saturday, The Performance Pursuit was able to team up with Movement Mechanics, a high performance gym in Trinidad and Tobago, to be a part of a free comprehensive one-day open house workshop focused on providing various resources to 30 high school athletes to assist their development both as athletes and as people. As an athlete who spent the majority of his life in Trinidad and Tobago it has always been a dream of mine to assist the youth athletes back home by providing a service that I never had as a kid. On Saturday, we took that first step and, thanks to the advancement of technology, we were able to do so all the way from Virginia during one of the most historic blizzards to hit the East Coast.

Our presentation covered several topics such as the importance of mental skills conditioning, its use to help optimize one’s performance and training, but most importantly: how it can positively impact your mindset. An individual’s mindset may be the most valuable tool that you have. It determines whether you grow or stay the same, whether you are an athlete, professional, parent, coach, or friend.

Here are a few tips and tools that you can use on a daily basis to develop a mindset capable of helping you strive towards your ambitions and life goals:

Developing a growth mindset. Everyday we experience some form of growth whether we gained new information, learned a new skill, or developed a new friendship. The amount of growth you experience is down to two simple steps I call the PR, ‘Planned and Recognized’. Before you go to sleep at night, think of one thing that you want to improve on tomorrow and make a note/reminder that you can see in the morning when you awake. This improvement does not have to be life changing but just one specific thing you would like to improve. At the end of the day take a moment to recognize if you improved the way you planned and, if you didn't, recognize one thing you did well in the past 24 hours and then plan again for the next day.

Being a team player. From a young age our mindset and personality is in some part shaped and molded by those we surround our self with including our family, friends, colleagues, teammates, and coaches. Being around those who share your values, goals, and ambitions is very important and can positively influence your mindset. Besides being around a good supporting cast, giving support to your team is just as crucial as receiving it. Regularly displaying genuine encouragement and appreciation to those close to you can positively impact your language both internally and externally. Support your team the way you want to be supported.

Recognizing that attitude is a choice. As you awake in the morning, it is up to you to decide what kind of day you want to have. Your day is always full of positive and negative moments, but how good of a day you’re having just depends on which moments you decide to focus on. Maybe you experience a setback, disappointment, or even encounter a disgruntled individual during the day - don't let it ruin those 24 hours or allow it to derail you off course from what you aimed to accomplish that day. Take a step back, take three deep breaths inhaling for a few seconds each time, and then repeat your power statement, which could be as simple as “I am stronger than this” or “I can overcome this”. Remember, your attitude is contagious, spread a positive one.

For more mental conditioning tips and techniques, feel free to contact us and receive a free consultation to help discover your state of success.